Medici Third Brigade Armored
History/Tactical Doctrine The Regiment was founded as part of the Third Brigade, Tessera under the command of the command of Brigadier General Adriana Serino. While Colonel Andretta came from a long dynasty of PDF command officers those under his command were poor farmers or hired farm labor,used to hard work and heavy machinery. Even the Colonel was unfamiliar with armored tactics, learning from old textbooks, as such this affected how they fought. He encouraged independent thought from his commanders, emphasizing movement and maneuver. They would always fight in mutually supportive pairs, overcoming the weaknesses of one Leman Russ variant with the strengths of another. In the end despite performing well against Orks and other threats they would fall to the Tyranids when they lost their home. Famous Battles Trazadone Mt. Morphene Orks had begun to reappear after Tubthumpa's defeat there, quickly reaching a point where the Trazadone PDF could not cope, calling on Medici for help. Serino, eager to prove herself and her new command engaged the WAAAGH on the plains near Mount Morphene. They were quickly outflanked and only the quick thinking of Colonel Andretta saved the battle. He broke formation, racing to engage the Ork Deff Dreds approaching on the Left flank. This action alerted the Artillery Regiment who switched targets and smashed them before they could engage with "The Storm" tearing through the survivors. This event would be known in Brigade history as "The Storm of Iron and Brass" The Colonels then acted on their own catching the Orks in a pincer movement that drove them from the field. General Serino killed the warboss personally, putting a laspistol shot into his skull and then mounting it on a spike welded to Condotto, Colonel Andretta's command tank. Nykelin Wastes Seizing the initiative the Medici third Brigade and the PDF supporting them launched an offensive into the Ork held region- they were surprised to find a new Warboss whose arrival had somehow gone unnoticed, his rokk being mistaken for a falling meteor. Many Feral Ork warbands had united behind him, they threw themselves at the Brigade with support from Wartrukks and a Squiggoth. They still carried the day, "The Storm" engaged and destroyed the Wartrakks, leaving the other regiments the rest of the Orks to deal with. While the Ork forces in the area were too strong for them to continue they were still able to keep this new Warboss from becoming an even bigger threat. Xomia Qaazigan Sent to assist in the Liberation of Xomia(650-651 M41) the 3rd Brigade was ordered to reinforce the mountain city of Qaazigan. Traveling five kilometers ahead of the main force they entered a narrow mountain valley they had to pass through. The Orks picked this time to launch their attacks, streaming down the mountainsides. with no room to maneuver they were forced to stand their ground and wait for help to arrive. It came in the form of their infantry regiments and the local PDF, both of whom arrived in less than an hour. The battle would continue on for hours, cannon blasts and tracer fire lighting up the night for kilometers around. They would break through, arriving at the city late the next day. Zatrovis The fighting on this world saw the third fourth and fifth Brigades deployed against a revolt led by the "Lord Protector" Mikal Kervazi, chosen to lead an army of peasants demanding better treatment from their leaders. Not without cause, the policies of the ruling dynasty had kept them destitute for more than 300 years. This was not an unreasonable demand but their opening salvo when negotiations failed went too far, after they sabotaged a power generator in one of the major cities, the explosion killed hundreds instantly and killed thousands more through radiation poisoning. This could not go unpunished. The revolt was crushed without mercy in only three weeks. Kervazi died fighting and his body was displayed in an iron cage for years afterward. His sacrifice was not in vain, rather than make him a martyr the ruling dynasty went to the negotiating table once again, giving in just enough to appease the masses. Mairwen Driven mad by the death of his son in battle, The Medici nobleman Silvio DiMarro sought to reconcile with his estranged daughter Antonia. He sought to do so by making her a queen- gathering up an army of Medici's poor and desperate, his PDF and his personal household guard, driving them on to Mairwen, Rhiannon's moon with the word of corrupt priests he had bribed into denouncing the citizens as traitors and heretics. While they took Mairwen, the newly self crowned "High King" held it for less than a week, the crew of the Vanquisher soon to be named "Regicide" delivered the kill shot on his command vehicle, killing him and several of his co-conspirators. Any other officers and corrupt priests to survive the fighting were executed for treason. As she had no part in any of this Antonia was never charged with any wrongdoing and inherited his holdings. Medici, Hour one Despite their other battlefield successes they could do nothing against Hive Fleet Erebus, losing every man and tank in their first battle against them, lasting less than an hour but dying surrounded by mound of Tyranid dead. Structure 1. one command tank(Colonel and veteran five man crew) 2. Three companies of twenty Leman Russ Tanks (360 men) each containing *5 Standard Leman Russ *5 Vanquishers *5 Conquerors *5 Demolishers Equipment •Olive green flak armor (copied from the Cadian Shocktroopers) Brigade and Regimental Sigils on the Left shoulder (regimental sigil was a shield with a pair of stylized lightning bolts on the Left, a Leman Russ silhouette on the right) Silver Aquila on the Right Shoulder *An olive green shirt with rank marker on shoulders(most cut the sleeves down) *Olive Green bloused trousers with gray puttees and black boots. * M36 Kantrael pattern lasgun and two extra charge packs (seldom carried) *Medici pattern auto pistol (used as a sidearm) and two extra magazines. *Bayonet/combat knife. *one week of rations/ meal kit *toolbox with repair tools for weapons and tanks- the Adeptus Mechanicus frowned on this but the practice continued as there weren't always techpriests available. *''Imperial Guardsman’s Uplifting primer'' Medals and Awards * The Order of the Holy Eyes(unique to Medici)- awarded to the third Brigade as a whole *Winged Skull(Imperial Guard)- awarded to Colonel Andretta at Mt. Morphene Notes on Regimental Culture Their tanks were painted with slate gray and Olive Green Camouflage with regimental logo on the Turret's right side with an Aquila and any regimental honors on the left. Vehicle kills were represented by black lightning bolts on the hull. Only exceptional crews were allowed to name their tanks leading to intense competition in the ranks for that honor. They tried to make their tanks as home-y as possible with pictures of their loved ones taped inside the crew compartment and hanging bags of dice from their cannon barrels(Tessera translates as dice in their dialect of High Gothic) Their tanks were often outfitted with extra weapons, usually dual stubbers in a ring mount on the turret. One more extreme modification saw a crew do the same with a grenade launcher. When not fighting the enemies of man, they would sometimes betray their roots as poor farmers, drinking homemade grain alcohol(rumored to be filtered through their tank radiators) fighting amongst themselves as a result. They would also adopt exotic pets and exhibit other behaviors their comrades saw as odd or simply "rustic". The word quickly became a euphemism meaning "uneducated" or "mentally deficient" but they took it in stride pointing out the events at Mt. Morphene to shut them up. Women were a very rare minority in the Medici armored regiments but they still served, earning the respect of the men they fought with. Some took advantage of their presence, making extra money selling images of themselves lying on their tanks in various suggestive poses and varying states of undress. While frowned on by the Brigade's officers the practice continued since they saw it as a nice way to boost morale. They still advised that female soldiers travel in groups in case someone got the wrong idea and tried to take it too far. Famous Tanks Condotto- Colonel Andretta's command tank, named for renowned soldiers from their ancestral homeland- its original meaning had been lost coming to mean "Elite soldier from the noble class." Eleanora- named for the commander's late wife whose death prompted him to join the Guard, a small image of her graced the hull. Rattle and Hum(Demolisher)- Not quite up to factory specs this tank had a history of engine problems. Kickback (Demolisher) when the gunner ran out of ammo the crew was forced to load improvised ammo consisting mostly of scrap metal. This was surprisingly effective but multiple shots almost knocked the cannon from its turret mount. Roll the Dice(Standard) An informal battle cry used by the crew- playing on the meaning of Tessera and the fact that tanks roll. Torchlight(Standard) A shot from an Ork cannon knocked the turret from the hull and killed the gunner. The surviving crew kept fighting despite their tank being on fire. Double Tap(Conqueror) A particularity tough Ork armored vehicle required 2 shots. When the 2nd shot went through the hull it killed the Nob commanding all of the Ork armor in that battle. Brass Tax(Standard) A noble once complained to Colonel Andretta about the cost of ammunition for the regiment. His response was "Call it the Brass Tax for keeping your world free." Also a play on the phrase "getting down to Brass tacks"- meaning to speak plainly. Colonel Andretta once commented "What could speak more plainly than a cannon blast?" Long Cool Woman(Vanquisher) this tank was named in honor of their female gunner, known to never lose her temper or her focus in battle. The rest of the crew described her as a "long(meaning tall) cool woman." Knock 3 times (Conqueror) Three solid hits in a row knocked out the treads but they kept fighting, the crew was careful to knock out Three enemy vehicles in revenge. Moonshadow (Demolisher) They crew was once separated from the rest of the regiment, their lights would give them away so they targeted by moonlight instead. They managed to knock out 7 enemy armored vehicles doing so, earning them the right to name their tank. Regicide(Vanquisher) see Mairwen http://warhammer40kfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Medici_3rd_Brigade_Armored#Mairwen Ultima Ratio (standard) The tank of legendary ace Narcesse Sardato- named after the crew made their 50th vehicle kill, they chose the name translated as "Final Argument" as they had always gotten the last word in each of those engagements. Famous Members Ivetta Sardella The daughter of pig farmers and the oldest of thirteen children she joined to escape her overcrowded home and the farm she stood no chance of ever leaving otherwise at age eighteen. She was among those women who posed for pictures atop their tanks and she was better known for those up until the day she killed an Ork Nob with a single shot from an M36 Kantrael lasgun. That single shot hit a grenade belt he was wearing, setting off more than a dozen stikkbombs and blasting a fifteen meter wide crater into the earth around him and his Boyz. Narcesse Scordato Born in a small town on the plains of Avarezzo County he had a lifelong fascination with machines and Medici's military history but had no real plans to become a soldier himself. He left home in his teens in search of something better than life in a town of three hundred people. He wandered into a cathedral at age nineteen, and something in the words of a priest there convinced him armored warfare was his life's calling. Joining up shortly thereafter he worked his way into command of his own tank over the next ten years, earning the respect of everyone to ever fight alongside him. He became a legendary tank ace with sixty- three vehicle kills to his credit by the time of The Fall. Like the rest of the men and women around him he would not survive the invasion and as no one knows how many Tyranids he took with him when he died. Category:BrowncoatMando Category:Medici Category:The Kashidaan Cluster Category:Imperial Guard Regiments Category:Imperium Category:Destroyed Category:Armored Regiments